Impact of Dysbiosis and Antiseizure Medication on Seizure Pathophysiology in a Viral Infection-Induced Epilepsy Model

Viral infections are associated with the development of seizures and epilepsy. Inflammation in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus, is thought to play a key role in orchestrating this process. We have previously demonstrated in mice that the gut microbiome influences seizure susceptibility following brain infection with Theiler’s virus (TMEV). Further, gut dysbiosis significantly alters the antiseizure activity of carbamazepine (CBZ) in TMEV-infected mice with acute seizures. Thus, we herein sought to define how experimentally evoked intestinal dysbiosis influences hippocampal pathophysiology and neuroinflammation following acute symptomatic seizures in TMEV-infected mice, and whether acute CBZ treatment could further influence this neuropathology. Mice were pretreated with antibiotics or saline, followed by TMEV infection, and CBZ or vehicle administration (days 3-7 post-infection). Histological analyses were then performed on hippocampal tissue to quantify neuronal death, microgliosis, astrogliosis, and cellular proliferation after acute infection. While overall microglial reactivity did not markedly differ between groups, microglial proliferation was significantly increased in CA1 of CBZ-treated versus VEH-treated intact mice. Dysbiosis appeared to blunt this CBZ-induced microglial proliferation. Further, dysbiosis contributed to neuroprotection while also increasing neural proliferation within CA3, which may worsen disease outcomes due to aberrant migration and integration. The gut microbiome may thus prime CNS-specific immune responses in viral infection-induced seizures, opening the opportunity for potential GI-specific therapeutic interventions for seizures.